Reviews
Franconia Notch/Lafayette Place Campground
User Reviews
Bobbie R
This was our 2nd time staying here after being wowed by it a few years ago. Never again! The traffic is so loud 24/7 you won’t ever sleep. The showers are $1.25 for 5 very quick minutes. Laundry is a joke & the dryer is a piece of crap scam. I dried one load for the preset $2.25 for 45 minutes & it was still soaking wet. So I did another $2.25 & 45 minutes. Still soaked. So another $2.25 & 45 minutes. This is when I realized the dryer was broken and the vent was clogged. So I kicked the vent cover off the outside of the building and also had to disconnect the vent coming out the back of the dryer. It was FULL of soaking wet lint. It still took another $4.50 and 1.5 hours to dry my single load of laundry. When we complained & asked for a refund we were told “sorry, can’t do that”. The state of this shower/bathroom/laundry room is atrocious compared to what it was 2-3 years ago. There is a green, moldy film covering the entire ceiling and spiders bigger than your palm everywhere. Spend some time & money to clean and fix your broken appliances. For $40/night plus pay to use showers…you could do better.
Sarah Kathleen
Beautiful campground at the middle of Franconia Notch S.P. perfect for thru hikers. Bathroom facilities with washer/dryer and showers available for campers. No hook ups at this campground, but it not a problem if that's not what you need for your camping experience. Only con is it's very close to I-93 so the traffic can be loud and a constant noise even through the night.
J-Dub
Good campground if hiking in Franconia notch, other than a good view from the playground not a lot of amenities. Dry site no power or water at any site including camper sites. Showers were clean and take quarters, a little short on male restroom stalls, and the outdoor facilities were locked. Good selection of material at the camp store, including ice in cube or blocks (lasted two day). Had a great time well maintained sites, all raked when we arrived, just be aware of your needs and desires from a camp site. Also be aware fire band can occur at any time in the summer, but Charcoal was allowed (and propane) but bring some Charcoal just in case.
Maurice Ribble
Fantastic campground for families! We came with our 10-year-old and friends and had a blast. Easy car camping with amazing access to trails. We hiked to Lonesome Lake Hut and saw morning mist rising over the mountains (breathtaking!). Kids loved the stream by the campground, and the bike trail took us to a sandy beach (3 mi) and the Basin (2 mi). Both spots had cold, clear water that felt amazing after a ride. Classic campfires, s’mores, and starry nights made it perfect. Highly recommend!
Prerna Keshari
This is our go-to camping place every year. Location is nothing less than perfect, surrounded by mountains, hikes, beautiful lake and gorgeous flume gorge. Campsite 47 has been our campsite for years, we love it since it's right next to water stream, I love sleeping and waking up next to relaxing sound of water. Kids love playing in water since it's very very shallow, shaded, clean and very safe. Camp store is so cute and sells absolutely everything that you might need for camping, although it's a bit pricey. Toilets are clean, there are coin operated showers as well, check in easy, there is drinking water tap almost next to campsites, there is a dedicated dish washing stations, although I saw some people still washing dishes under the drinking water tap :( There are trails starting from the campground to a few places that someone might want to visit during this camping anyway. Absolutely love this place, I don't think I would stop going here anytime soon.
Amnie Aldred
I highly recommend this place..im a new solo backpacker and I stayed here to test out all my own equipment, and the trails were phenomenal all close by..the staff their were absolutely amazing they knew it was my first solo and they checked in on me to make sure I was comfortable and if I needed anything..I can't wait to go back 😀
Jesse e (Jess)
Not nearly enough parking come April. An insane number of camp sites. Winter camping accessable!! They keep the parking lot plowed all winter, godspeed. Bring your own shovel to shovel out your campsite though. Self service paying. Great area too. 2 miles from the basin, and very close to the flume as well. The Lafayette mountain is one of the tallest in that area, and you get a fantastic view of cannon mountain from the campsites. Cannon mountain is also a great hike, and you can even take the tram down.
Wynn Tenhor
FAVORITE CAMPGROUND! I grew up going here - the camping spots are minimalistic, quiet, good spots, and the view of Canon mountain is absolutely incredible. The rangers are all super nice, and they often have little activities or nature walks offered throughout the week. Definitely recommend!
Tanisha
Stayed here a couple of times and have no complaints. I typically do week days so it’s pretty quiet. Prime place to be for access to hiking Franconia Notch Loop and other peaks via the Lonesome Lake trail. Clean bathrooms and I’ve always had great neighbors.
Ashley
Loved this place! First, amazing staff! One worker in particular was very personable and would keep up with our daily adventures and give us recommendations of other places to go/sights to see. Very welcoming environment. Our site was set a convenient walk from the rustic bathrooms and dish sink. Showers were spacious and cost $1.00 for 5 minutes (additional time can be added). I would recommend only starting with $1 to make sure the water is hot. One time I put in a lot of quarters only to realize the water was cold. Other than that, I didn’t have any bad experiences with the showers. Very great location to hikes. Also no signal out there at all, which was a plus for me!
Joe Pagillo
Great campground and a great place to use as your Basecamp for hiking and any other outdoor activities. So much to do withing just a couple of miles!
JP73
Good prices and great access to nice trails.
H L
Pretty pricey for a state campground (I think without wifi or electric or water at site too). Host not that helpful or forthcoming/overly friendly but decent overall. If you reserve online there is a reservation fee but if you go in person they charge the same added amount and just call it a processing fee. Also got charged twice for this fee since I added nights rather than just a one time fee so be sure to decide beforehand your exact plans to avoid unnecessary charges (I think $6.50 extra per night). Showers are coin operated so another added cost and will need to bring cash (very good temperature- hot). Laundry is one washer one dryer and can get very busy as do the bathrooms. Dryer did not work well and will charge full $2.25 again (set 45min) if you don’t add money before it stops so be sure to check on dryness before it runs out. Bathroom doors left open (unsure why) so a lot of bugs there, nothing that had me too scared to return though. Women’s restroom light was out for a good portion of the stay and didn’t seem like restrooms attended to that often. When fixed, the towel dispenser then stopped working. Detailed just as a description…but overall I enjoyed the camping experience and would definitely want to come back (usually any campground has some issues and this one overall was a nice experience). It is in a great area and has a ton of really nice sites that are very spacious and you feel like you are camping and have your own secluded area (while not actually secluded). Lots of hikers coming from the trail which is cool. Noise didn’t bother me excessively. Close to a beautiful area. Store (basic offerings) and office open late which is a plus.
Lara M
Beautiful trails, well kept overall, and clean bathrooms with coin operated showers, laundry & lots of outlets. The store was open pretty late and had a great selection- even tents, clothes, food & hot coffee for those completely impromptu camping trips or gear failures. Many trails accessible from here, and several others just a few minutes drive away.
Alex Desmarais
Great amenities and everything is very well maintained. Sites are all unique and spaced apart pretty well. I really like that the roads are paved so even my hatchback can manage things just fine. Store is well equipped and staff are very friendly and helpful. Easily one of the best tenting experiences I've ever had.